Replacing field data with user data

[Mattimus]

In the approval request template have a condition that changes the approver if the amount is over $500. Currently it is...
Take data from
=findrow(M_Projects,"M_Projects[Project]=%","CFO")
And write to:
=A_POs[Project]
It works, in the sense that it puts the CFO's name in the Project field, but it doesn't actually link it to the user correctly. It just plugs in their name

Is there a command that will link the user instead of just their name?

[AndrewB]

Can you share more screenshots (including column headers) of the M_Projects and A_POs tables?

At first glance, it looks like the first column of the M_Projects table contains plain text of the names? If so, the fix is to format that column as a contact, and then change the names to contacts.

[Mattimus]

Absolutely. Thank you Andrew. Here are some screenshots...
Approver table

M_Projects Table

A_POs table

[AndrewB]

What table does M_Projects[rowlink] link to? Can I see that one?

[Mattimus]

Looks like =THISROW()

[AndrewB]

@Mattimus

=findrow(M_Projects,"M_Projects[Project]=%","CFO")

I can't figure how this formula was dropping "John Doe" into that column in your first screenshot.

Looking at these tables, it should have been going the m_projects table, finding this row...

and then return the rowlink. You'd see a blue "CFO" in that column instead of a black "John"

If the Approver for a project is always the same, if ProjectA is always approved by Matt, which is what it seems like in your tables... then I think the Approver column doesn't actually need to be updated by an automation.

Just apply a formula to the Approver column in A_POs..

=findrow(m_approvers, "m_approvers[project]=%", thisrow()[project])

So... How this works. The project column of a_pos is currently holding a rowlink from the m_projects table. thisrow()[project] returns that whole row...

The find row formula then looks through the m_approvers table...

looking for a row that contains a rowlink to of "CFO" row.

[Mattimus]

I added this...

@AndrewB

= findrow(m_approvers, "m_approvers[project]=%", thisrow()[project])

to 2nd row of the approvers column just to see how it would react and it seemed to pull the correct info....

However it doesn't act like a contact, but rather just field data just like the automation on the last row. I'm ok if this is the intended reaction, but I'm worried that it not being a contact will foul up any of the automations or other processes. Do I need to worry about that?

[AndrewB]

If you want it to drop in the contact instead, then just tweak the formula a bit.

=findrow(m_approvers, "m_approvers[project]=%", thisrow()[project])
Returns:

So...
=findrow(m_approvers, "m_approvers[project]=%", thisrow()[project])[Approver]

Will return:

Which is the actual contact.

[Mattimus]

@AndrewB

=findrow(m_approvers, "m_approvers[project]=%", thisrow()[project])[Approver]

Woot! Woot! That did it! Thank you so much AndrewB!
I'm definitely a newby at all of this now, but I hope to become a pro at it. Thank you very much for helping me get one step closer!

[AndrewB]

Woot! NP! It's tricky to keep track of the rowlinks, but as you'll be able to see, they're super powerful, and quite different from other lo-code builders out there.